Elmhurst Panel Cool To Building Ban Idea

September 16, 1987|By Neil H. Mehler.

A committee of Elmhurst aldermen studying ways to prevent a recurrence of the flooding that caused an estimated $33 million in damage in that suburb last month is leaning against an outright ban on flood plain construction.

Despite the call for such a ban by State Sen. James ``Pate`` Philip (R., Wood Dale) and by an Elmhurst citizens group formed after the floods, committee members indicated they favor a plan to require building floodwater storage areas.

Elmhurst has several commercial projects next to Salt Creek, including a motel and offices, under construction or on the drawing boards. The creek spilled over its banks during the record rains last month, causing much of the flood damage.

Ald. Jane Bartmann (2d), chairman of the committee, said Tuesday that a builder should be required to provide compensatory ponds or parking lots to hold the storm water.

Bartmann said that City Atty. Kenneth T. Kubiesa is looking into the legality of a ban on construction along Salt Creek but that the committee prefers the compensatory-storage idea.

The committee also recommended that the Elmhurst floodway and flood plain maps be redrawn to match those of the Federal Emergency Management Agency

(FEMA). A floodway is the area in which a body of water flows and a flood plain is the adjacent runoff area.

Robert Wozniak, head of the citizens group`s technical panel, said he thought the recommendations were sound.

Mayor Robert J. Quinn said the committee had taken ``the right approach.`` Building permits will be issued for projects with proper water retention on their sites, he said.

Some residents and elected officials have accused Elmhurst and other towns along the creek of contributing to the flooding by allowing construction in flood plains.

A complication in the effort to halt flood damage is that governments could face lawsuits if they prevent property owners from building according to accepted practices. A pending property-rights suit against Elmhurst and some of its officials concerns a lot at Washington Street and Seminole Avenue, which the city council downzoned from commercial to residential under pressure from nearby homeowners.